Web and sheet handling mechanism



Oct. 31, 194-4. CORBlN WEB AND SHEET HANDLING MECHANISM Original Filed April 6, 1937 9 Sheets-Sheet l n w n jazz/id c orzhz lirm, J y/4 4 i D. CORBIN WEB AND SHEET BANDLINGHECHANISH Original Filed April 6, 1937 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Davzd' 60715172 Oct. 31, 1944. D. coRBiN 2,361,459

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' D. CORBIN WEB AND SHEET HANDLING MECHANISM Oct. 31, 1944.

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Oct. 31, 1944.

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D. CORBIN WEB AND SHEET HANDLING MECHANISM Original Filed April. 6, 1937 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 C 07*521'72 J- N EW AM Patented Oct. 31, 1944 T OFFICE,

WEB AND SHEET HANDLING MECHANISM David Corbin, Chicago, IlL.

- Original application April 6, 1937, Serial No.

Divided and this application March 25,1940, Serial No. 325,821

iofclaims; 7 (c1. FYI-#176) The present invention relatesto machines which operate upon sheet material, and to feeding, registering, cutting, delivert'ngg assembling and winding mechanisms adapted to cooperate with each other inthe performing of operations upon the web such asprinting on one or both sides thereof and the subsequentxdivision of the Webinto sheets.

. This application is a division of my application Serial No. 135,329, filed April 6, 1937, for Rotary web pr nting machines, which has matured into Patent No. 2,194,467, March 26, 1940.

It is a purpose of the present invention to provide in a machine of this character having mechanism by means of which a web or line of material is subjected to one or more operations as a web, may be singly, or in combination with other webs similarly operated upon, be cutup into separate sheets or sections while moving, and the sheets advanced in columns and rows to a gathering mechanism which gathers the several sheets together in a definite order inone or more piles.

The particular objects of the invention within the scope of the above general objects include the provision of specific mechanisms, as herein-'- after outlined, capable of carrying out the several steps just mentioned. 4

It is a purpose of the present invention to provide a high speed accurate means for slitting and cutting a web so that no trimming 'whatever is necessary except in the case wherethe ultimate unit is single folded, and stitched in the fold. In this case, the sheets are cutthat they may be creased and folded in such a manner that waste is cut down to a minimum.

In this connection, the present invention contemplates the use of multiple flying shears that move at the same speed as the web during the entire period of the cutting, and that may be accurately adjusted to produce this sameness of speed so that a precision and velocity of cutting can be obtained that makes subsequent trimming unnecessary.

As is well known in the art, flying shears that move at the same speed as the material to be cut during the entire period of cutting is the most accurate type of out 01f so long as the number of cuts per second is not too great. As the inertia strains in this type of cut 01f Vary as the square of the number of cuts per second but only as the first power of the weight, I am enabled to obtain almost any desired rate of cutting by flying shears by arranging a series of flying shears in tandem, which I havedesignated multiple flying shears. For carry ng material through these shears'I use. looping belts or travelling slats or any conveyor separated by the kn v s. With even the most modernpresses, it is still the custom to fold a single'large sheet into what is called a signature. These sheets when folded are put into gathering machines that then deliver it to trimmers, gluers, and

stitchers. The use of the trimmers is a necessity with the folded sheets and leads to a waste of paper that runs commonly from three to five per cent. With my device, the web is cut and slit into sheets of exact size which may be assembled together intoa completed unit such as a book, newspaper, or magazine without the necessity of any trimming waste. v

Another object of the present invention is to cut and assemble from an original web a multiplicity of sheets which are cut intotheir ultimate. sizes, the assembling being accomplished by taking the sheets arranged in rows and columns and moving at a, high speedas. they leave the cutting device and arranging the sheets into asingle pile or a plurality of pilesin a definite order of piling. I

The present invention contemplates the provision of means whereby a fast moving assemblageof any number of rows and columns of sheets of the same size are delivered into a single exactly aligned pile of sheets with the sheets arranged in a definite order so that they are ready to be glued and stitched or otherwise bound together. In this connection, means are provided whereby successive assemblages of sheets are delivered to a number of different conveyors, the columns of sheets being separated so that they may be assembled with the sheets in the column on top of one another in adefinite order. Then the several groups of sheets so piled may be placed together in a definite order or separately piled as desired.

The present invention contemplates also the provision in a system of this character of a sheet gathering and delivering mechanism by which. sheets of different widths and lengths that are moving in adjoining columns may be stored in different piles, each one of which contains only sheets that are of the same size. In shops which do a large variety of work, the cost of maintaining a stock of sheet material of the various sizes and grades needed is considerable. Onfthe other hand, if only a'few sizes are stocked, considerable waste is produced whenever a size wider than that needed is used. These difilculties can be practically in a substantial degree overcome by stocking wide rolls only and selecting widths to be used at the same time that will, as closely as possible, use up the entire width of the roll. The present mechanism is particularly useful in the delivering and stacking of such sheets as well as the delivering and stacking of sheets of different widths and lengths.

It is often desirable in the handling of a web to perform one operation thereon, such for example as the printing on one side, and there.-

after store the web by rewinding in such a fashion zontally. The inequalities of stretch are produced.

slowly during storage due to a fslow plasticity of the paper. e

I overcome the difficulties by providing means for winding and rewinding the web on edge so that the accumulative weight of the roll is prevented from pressing the sheets against each other. Winding on edge facilitates winding loosely. .In some cases,it is desirable to provide means for spacing successive turns of the web as it is wound on. a vertical axis, and the present invention. contemplates means for accomplishing this result and also, in the case of one end spacing, for rewinding leaving the spacer wound.

The features of the present invention hereinbefore mentioned, and other features and advantages which will appear more clearly from the following detailed description, are combined a machine ofthe form shown whereby to produce a sheet forming and handling device of great flexibility and capable of operating at high speed. The several parts of the device may haveindividual merit fo other purposes than their use in this general combination. They are, however, so combined herein as to make possible accuratecutting and assembling at speeds heretofore notconsidered to be obtainable and with the waste of material greatly reduced over existingstructures well known to the trade. The combination, therefore, of the several elements in the present device results in a machine of high speed and efiiciency.

The features and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is'shown. It is to be understood, however. that the drawings and description are illustrative only and that the details of the mechanism may be varied considerably without departing from the scope of the=invention as it is defined by the claims.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a side view'partly in section of a cutting device operable to slit and cut a web into a plurality of sheets; 1

Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic view in side elevation of a delivering mechanism for sorting and delivering sheets received from the cutting mechanism; i

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a spreading conveyor forming a part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

view on the line l-'i of l Fig. 6;

' Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of a modified form .of mechanism for sorting and piling sheets;

' the invention;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary sect onal view illustrating the manner in which successive turnsof the web are spaced from each other;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken crosswise of a roll;

Fig. 14 is a transverse sectional view through a portion of a side drifting conveyor system, such asis shown in Fig. 4, illustrating the addition of positive means for causing the sheets to move off the Side drifting conveyor;

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 14;

Ffgxlfiis an enlargedfragmentary view partly in section of the rollers employed for removing sheets from the side drifting conveyor;

Fig; 17 is a sectional view on the line lI-il of Fig. 16;

Fig. 18 is a sectional view on the line l8-i8 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 19 is a view in side elevation of a stacking conveyor unit of a somewhat different form than that shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 20 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 19;

Fig. 21 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2 l-2l of Fig. 20;

Fig.22 is a fragmentary view taken on the line 22-22 of Fig. 21;

Fig. 23 is a vertical sectional view through a modified form of structure for the multiple flying shears utilizing a conveyor system where the paper conveyor is composed of slats that are adapted to be separated by the knives of the shears;

Fig. 24 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 24-44 of Fig. 23; and,

Fig. 25 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 25-25 of Fig. 23.

Referring now to the drawings. there is illusvtrated in Fig. 1 a. mechanism by which the slitting justment means for producing thissameness of speed, a precision and velocity of cutting can be obtained that makes subsequent trim unnecessary. Thereof course, must be means associated with the multiple shears to convey the sheets through the shears after cutting.

One form of multiple shearing mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 1. In this form, a pair of pulin cutting the web 9.

leys 99 and 9| have a belt 92 thereon. This belt is adapted to receive a web 9 or a plurality of such webs superimposed one upon the other. The pulleys 99 and 9| move the belt 92 at the same speed as the web 9 is being uniformly advanced. A suitable paper slitting and creasing.

mechanism may be used to longitudinally slit the web before it reaches the belt 92. The creasers are used in the case where the sheets are to be single folded and stitched in the fold. For purposes'of the present application, I have shown diagrammatically upper and lower paper slitting rollers 93 and 99 in Fig. 1. A plurality of shearing units 95, 99, 9'! and 98 are shown. Each of these units comprises a pair of knives 99'and I 99. The lower knife 99 is carried by a frame I9I which also has guide portions I92 and I93 for guiding the upper knife I 99. The upper knife I99, however, has collars I94 longitudinally slidable upon vertically reciprocable bars I95.' The knife I99 is moved vertically by the bars I95,

but is free to slide longitudinally thereon. The

knife 99 may be fixed in the frame I9I at the proper height to cooperate with the knife I99 The several frames I III are longitudinally adjust-able upon a supporting bed I96 which is slidable lengthwise of the belt 92 and is slidably mounted in the frame of the machine. Suitable cranks I91 and I99 drive links I99 and I I 9 for moving the bars I95 up and down. The bars I 95 may be mounted for vertical 'movement ina pair of standards III and M2, for example, by providing vertical slots H3 and H4 in the standards I I I and I I2. Each of the frames I9I carries a series of rollers I I5, H9, and II! around which the belt 92 is trained so that the web 9 passes between theknives 99. and I99 of the shearing units 95, 96, 91 and 98 while the belt 92 passes around the lower knife.

Mechanism is provided whereby to cause the shearing units to move forward with the Web 9 during the cutting operation and then to be retracted wh'le the Web is advancing the distance necessary before a new out should be made by the multiple shears. For example, let us assume that sufiicient shears are provided so as to cut at one operation a length equal to the length printed by a printing cylinder in one rotation, then once for each rotation of the printing cylinder the shearing units must cut the web and be retracted. During the cutting operation, the bed plate I99 is moved forward at a speed equal to the velocity of the belt 92. Th s movement is accomplished by linking the sliding bed plate I96 through links H8 to a compound lever mechanism indicated generally by the numeral H9. This mechanism will not be-described specifically because it may be substantially a duplicate of that shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of my co-pending application hereinbefore identified (Patent No. 2,194,467). A cam I29 is utilized to operate the compound lever mechanism I I9 as will be readily understood. Suitable drive mechanism is provided for the belt 92, the cranks I91, I99, and the cam I 29, for driving the several parts in timed relation to each other and to the advancing speed of the web or webs 9 which are to be cut.

Instead of the belt 92 which loops around the knives 99, a system of travelling slats may be used for a belt, the slats being so arranged that u be assembled and piled by means to be described,-

they may pass straight through the knives and are separated by the knivesduring the period of cutting. In Figs. 23, 24 and 25, a modified structure is shown whereby the multiple flying shears may be used with a system of travelling slats.

In this form of the device, the upper knives I99 are carried by the rods I as in Fig. '1. Rods I 95a also carry the lower knives 99,- andsuitable bell cranks I 91 and I9'Ia are adapted to drive links I99 and I99a to move the knives 99 and I99 toward each other to cut a web 9 asit passes between them. In this form of the invention, belts92a and 92b carry a plurality of slats 92c on which the web 9 is passed between the knives 99 and I99. The slats are formed, as shown in Figs. 24 and 25, and, in order to prevent the knives from cutting into a slat, a conical slat separating pin I 99a is arranged at the end of the knife I 99 and projects beyond the knife, as shown best in Fig. 24, so as to enter between the slats 92c and cause the knives to gobetween the slats rather than to strike the surface thereof. I have found that, by using aconical separating pin such as'the pin l99a, the slats can always be prevented from catching'on the knives so that the flying shears will function in the proper manner. This is one eX'ample-of a conveyor in which the web. supporting elements may be divided by the knife or knives that cut the web. Obviously, there are many other variations and forms of web conveyors in which the Web supporting elements may be divided by the knife of the flying shears. Owing to the inertia strains produced at high speeds, a'fiying shears normally is not capable of operating at the speeds necessary for cutting a rapidly moving web such as would be delivered from a print ng couple in the machine shown in my co-pending application. The inertia strains produced bythe shifting of the flying shears increase as the square of their velocity. These inertia strains, however, only increase in direct proportion to increase in weight. Therefore, by utilizing multiple flying shears, thereby increasing the weight but decreasing the number of reciprocation of the flying shears, I have been able to provide a multiple shearing mechanism that is capable of accurately cutting the web when the web is travelling at such high speeds as those needed in commerciallysuccessfulprinting.

After a-web 9'has passed through the rotary slitters 93 and 94 to be divided into strips and the strips have been cut by the multiple shears, there is an assemblage of columns of sheets leaving the multiple shearing device at the same speed as the web 9entered it. These sheets must now'be delivered, for example to a gluing or stitching mechanism, but they must first be assembled in a definite order into a single pile if they areall to go together. For example; let us assume that one printing operation of the print cylinder prints 20 ultimate sheets as they are cut up by the shearing device. These sheets may be arranged so that the slitters cut the web into five columns and the shears cut off four rows at each operation. If these twenty sheets are to be bound together in a definite order, they can now and there is no further waste due to the necessity of trimming as would be the case in folding the sheets into signatures and tures.

There is disclosed herein a method and ma- .chine for delivering the fastmoving assemblage of rows and columns'of sheets, such as are received from the' cutting device, into one or trimming the signamore-exactly aligned piles of sheets with the sheets arranged in adefinite order. For-convenience of description, the assemblage of the sheets may be better described by taking the several steps separately and I describing. one order in which the steps may be carried out to produce the final result. The several steps may be classified as follows: l

1. Separating the columns. I

2. Delivering successive assemblagesof sheets corresponding to successive turns of the print cylinder to a number of different conveyors.

31 Delivery of the sheets in the columns on top of one another in a definite order. I l. Pushing forward these column piles onto an assembling conveyor. Q5. Causing the assembling conveyor to deliver theseicolumn piles onto a side conveyor in a single pileorin some cases a plurality of piles.

fi Delivery by the side conveyor of the single pile into a troughing conveyor that accurately aligns the sheets in a pile, and delivery of the piles to 'a receiving mechanism, as for example, as to the gluers and stitchers which are not shown herein. i i

As an example of the mechanism for performing the several operations, I will refer now to the devices shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 9. .We may assume that the belts 92 deliver the sheets at the pulley 9| to a spreading conveyor I2I. The spreading conveyor may be composed in one form of a multiplicity of belts I22 interspersed with separate sections of the belt 92 which may be composed of a plurality of separate narrow belts upon the pulley 9i. The belts I22.are twisted, the number of twists in each belt increasing with the distance of the belt from the transverse center of the pulley 9I. The belts on either side of the central line of the conveyor I2! are twisted in such a manner that they will move a sheet away from the center at the same time that it moves forward. This system of belts will cause the separation of the columns received from the shearing device shown in Fig.1. The spreading conveyor IZI must of a necessity be somewhat wider than the necessary width of the conveyor belt 92. Other equivalent means for separating the columns, such as diverging belts or diverging pulleys or rollers, may be used to accomplish the same. ur e as is accomplished by the spreading conveyor I2I.

, The columns of sheets that have been separated by the spreading conveyor I2I' are'fed over a pulley I 3 between an upper belt I24 and a lower belt 125. The purpose of the belt I24 is to prevent the sheets which are moving at hi h speed as yet, from shooting oil into the air at the bend between the spreading conveyor I2I and the switching conveyor I25. Other equivalent means such as suct on devices ma beus'e'd for the same with a lural ty of di ectin switches in the form of pivot fingers I26, I21, I28. and I29; The e fingers are c trolled by a series of cams I39. I3I, I32, and I33 on a cam shaft I34. These switches are movable from the position shown in Fig. 2

such a manner that it makes one revolution to each four operations of the shearing'device for the specific mechanism shown in Fig. 2. That is,

asap-45:9

cessive assemblages of sheets to identical mechanisms one of which only will be described in detail.

Sheets directed by the switch I26 between the belts l35are delivered from the belts I35 onto a belt I39 which runs somewhat slower than the belts I35. By a cascading arrangement, the sheets are successively delivered onto belts I40 and MI,

purnose. T e conveyor I25 has associated thereeach belt being slowed up slightly from'the preceding belt. Only three of these slowing belts are illustrated, but it is obvious that the number may be added to until the speed of the sheets is reduced to a speed which enables the sheets to behandled in the mechanism following the cascading belts. For preventing the sheets on the belts from flying, idler pulleys such as I42, I43, and I44 may be used, or these idlers may be replaced byequivalent means for holding the sheets down on the belts and causing the sheets passing in contact with the belt to move at the same speed as the belt until they have passed beyond it.

In order to prevent the sheets from aeroplaning, that is, lifting up and flying due to the air currents where the speed is sufficient to produce it, the several cascading belt arrangements fed by the belts I35, I35, I31, and I38 may be housed in wind tunnels such as are indicated by the lines I45 in connection with Fig. 2. The tunnels are arranged in such a fashion that movement of air at the samespeed for example as the belts l35 at the entrance to the tunnel may be gradually diminished so as tokeep pace approximately with the sheets on the cascading conveyor. One method of producing this result is to provide a tunnel whose cross sectiongradually enlarges in the direction of movement of the sheets.

It is desirable, in order to insurethat the sheets as they slow up will overlap one another always in the same order in leaving the belts I35, to produce a down draft of air upon the sheets issuing from between the belts I35. The last belt I4I of apcascadi'ng seriesdelivers the sheets onto a grating I46. Obviously the sheets in each column will fall upon the grating I46 in a definite order, that is. the first sheet on the bottom, the second sheet next, and so on. The grating I46 receives the sheets from one operation oi the flying shears each time the shaft I34 is rotated. In other words, it receives every fourth transverse row of sheets cut by the flying shears in the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Means are provided for pushing the piles formed on the grat ng I46 forward onto an assemblin conveyor I41. There may be one of these assembling conveyors I41 for each cascad ins conveyor system just as there is one gratin I46 for each cascading conveyor system. For pushing the sheets a pusher I48 operating throu h the grating I46. This pusher is reciprocated across the grating I46 once for each revolution of the cam shaft I34 and is connected therewith for driving purposes by any suitable means not shown. Each pusher I 48 carries a frame I49 having two pulleys I50 off the grating I46, I provide and IE1 around which belts I52 are placed. The belts I52 are spaced apart to pass through the spaces in the grating I46 as the pusher I48 is advanced. The belts I52 are .fixed to a stationary bar I53 which is above the pusher I48 so that, when the pusher moves forward carrying with it the frame I49 and with it the pulleys I50 and II, the belts I 52 are merely rolled out through the spaces in the grating I46 to establish a stationary surface upon which anew pile of sheets may be delivered while the pusher I48 is returning to its starting position. In its starting position. as shown in Fig. 2, the top of the pusher I48 is sufficiently withdrawn between the pulleys I4Ia for the belt I4I, which is composed of a plurality of spaced narrow belts, so that any sheets that have been dropped on the belts I52 can drop completely onto the grating I46 and not be caught by the pusher I48.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, the assembling conveyor I41 is adapted to place the column piles delivered thereon from the gratings I46 into a single pile. For example, let us assume that four column piles such as are shown by the four sheets across Fig. 3 are formed on the grating I46 for each rotation of the print cylinder. These four column piles are delivered at once on the conveyor I41. This conveyor is of such a type that it gives a slow lateral movement to the piles while it is giving them a slow forward movement. Thus the piles are gradually moved off one side edge of the conveyor I41. As an example of means for accomplishing this result, I show in Fig. 4 a conveyor I41 in which the belts I54 are all twisted in the same direction and with the same twist so as to impart a uniform side drift to the sheets as the 'advance along the conveyor. The belts I54 may, for example, be composed of uniformly twisted belts. The conveyor I41 delivers the piles onto a side receiving conveyor I55. A vertical conveyor I56 may be provided at the edge of the conveyor I55. The conveyors I 55 and I56 are usually not placed precisely horizontal and vertical but are preferably tilted slightly so that the outer edge of the conveyor I55 is higher than the edge adjacent the conveyor I56. It is desirable that the sheets already delivered onto the conveyor I55 will not be pushed out of position by sheets newlyarriving from the conveyor. The tilting avoids this to a certain degree sufficient for most purposes. In any case, however, where difficulty is encountered due to the particular characteristics of the sheets, the conveyors I55 and I56 may be suitably changed so that the tendency of one sheet to push the other out of position as it comes from the conveyor I41 is overcome,

In Fig. 9,1 have shown a slightly different form of side drifting and side receiving conveyor structure in which a side drifting conveyor I41a, which may be the same as the conveyor I41, delivers the sheets onto a side receiving conveyor I55a on edge. A pair of conveyors IBM and I561) travelling at the same forward speed as the conveyors M111 and I55a are tilted somewhat to the vertical so that the sheets coming off of the conveyor I41a slide down over the conveyor I56a until the edge of the sheet engages the conveyor I55a. The width of the conveyor I56b is such that a sheet resting on the conveyor I55a will drop back beneath the conveyor I56a so that the next sheet will notstrike the top edge of the sheet already delivered and will come down on the outside thereof so as to arrange the sheets in the proper order.

' conveyors I55a and I56b. The yokes are verticifically limiting this part of the invention. Di- 4 cally adjustable by means of screws 259 and 260 threaded in theframe 251 and are set at such an angle as to movethe conveyor I56b in a direction parallel to the conveyor I56a.

With the device shown in Fig. 9-or similar devices, the spreading conveyor may be dispensed .with and the sheets led directly from the cutting mechanism onto the side drifting conveyor I41a or the side drifting conveyor I41 where the sheets in the various rows are piled on the side receiving conveyors such as I55 and I55a-I56b. To illustrate this method of delivery, I have shown in Fig. 9 howthe sheets from the conveyor I55a can be delivered to a twisted conveyor 258 which lays the piles'of sheets down fiat, and the piles are then delivered to the cascading conveyors I39a, I4Ila, etc. The cascading conveyors, which are like those shown in Fig. 2, will gradually slow down the piles of sheets and arrange them for delivery to the aligning trough structure shown in Fig. 6. For example, the cascading conveyors may deliver directly into the tilted conveyor structure I68 of Fig. 6.

In connection with the grating I46 and the conveyor I55, any well known mechanism for jarring the conveyor or grating to cause the sheets to be shaken down into registration with each other, can be used. ,7 I

A great variety of constructions may be em-. ployed to produce tne side drifting action of the conveyor I41. Therefore, it is to be understood that the form shown in Fig. 4 is merely illustrative of a class and is not to be considered as speagonal rollers or diagonal belts may be used in part or entirely. For example, in Fig. 14 the side drift conveyor I41 is supplemented by diagonally placed rollers 26I and 262 which are driven at sucn a rate as to receive and discharge the sheets at the edge of the conveyors I41 so as to give a positive discharge action. ':The upper roller 26I is driven by contact with the roller 262 or with a sheet passing between the rollers. The rollers 26I and 262 are set at such an angle and given such a velocity that-the sheets fed between them have the same forward and lateral velocity that is produced by the rest of the conveyor I41. The function of these pairs of rollers is toinsure that the lateral movement of the sheets is not stopped by their scraping over the conveyor I55 or sheets carried thereon;

In order that the rollers may properly perform their function, the lower roller 262 is provided with guide controlled dogs 263 (see Figs. 15, 16 and 17) arranged around its periphery. The dog 263 that is uppermost at any moment is allowed to thrust itself upward in an annular slot 264 provided in the roller 26I provided thereis no sheet of paper between the rollers; If one of the dogs 263 is thrust upward, guide meansare provided to hold it that may as long as itc an beuseful-in pushing a sheet in front of it onto the.con-

' The dogs 263 are (mounted in? a plurality of radial slots 265 formed in'the roller 262. The dog 268 is apart of a spring wire 286 which extends through the roller 262, as indicated in Fig. 16, and is bent over at 261 to secure it in place. The spring wire 266 has a little spring tension tending to make the dog 263 project radially from the slot. The degree of projection is limited by a wire band 268: A stationary guide cam 269 is fixed to a standard 216 that supports the free end of a shaft 21I on which the roller 262 is secured. The guide 269 is held against rotation by a pin 212 and provides a bearing for 'theshaft 21I. The shaft 21!, at its other end, is supported by a standard 213, and is provided with a bevelled gear 214 by means of which it may be driven. The guide 269 has a rib 215 and a rib 216 which are separatedat the top, as indicated at 211, so that the free end of the wire 266 may, if itis not held down by paper between therollers'26l and 262, rise above the guides. At the bottom of the member 269,'the guide 215 extends inside the guide 216 so that the end of a wire 266 will always be returned inside the guide 216. a

It is believed to be evident from Figs. 15 to 18 how the dogs 263 will project upwardly behind a sheet and force it out onto the conveyor I55 so as to insure positive delivery of the sheets to the conveyor I55. The several rollers 262 are driven by a shaft 218 which has bevelled gears 219 meshing with the bevelled gears 214 of the several rollers. Shaft 218 is driven by a shaft 288 which may be coupled to any suitable power mechanismso as to drive the rollers'262 at the proper speed with respect to the speed at which theside drifting conveyor I41delivers the sheets into the rollers 26I and 262.

-In Fig. 5, the side drift conveyor I41 is shown asbeing utilized as a means for separating the piles in several columns from each other'and arranging the piles received from. the several columns in individual stacks. In this case, the first column to fall off the conveyor I41 is received on a stacking conveyor I58 which delivers it to a platform I59. 'Ihe stacking conveyor I58 may be counterweighted by a counterweight I68. -The' entire stacker conveyor mechanismis preferably supportedupon a framework I6I which carries its own driving motor I62 and which is portable being provided with wheels I53. Each successive column of piles will be deliveredto the next adjacent stacking conveyor I58a until all of the columns have been piled upon the platform I59. A vertical guide I64 is adapted to direct the sheets and piles of'sheets onto the conveyors I58and I58a from the conveyor I41.

Themember I64-may be provided with a shelf I65 which is pivotally secured theretoso it may be tilted up and down and used as a means for directing the sheets from the conveyorv I41 right side up onto the conveyors I58 and I58a oralternatively to cause the sheets to be turned over as they fall from the conveyor I41. Sheets falling off the edge of the conveyor I41 drop and strike with their lower edges against the shelf I65. When the shelf I65 extends upwardly from the member I64, the lower edge of the sheet remains on the shelf while the upper edgeswings out and down upon the conveyor I58 thereby inverting the sheet. If the shelf I65 is sloped-down from the member I64, the lower ed e of the she t slips off immed ately to the c nveyor I58whicb carries the sh et forward right side up. For tilting the shelf I65. 2. suitable arm I66 and an'adiusting screw 'I61-may be provided, the adjusting screwbeing secured in the proper manner to the member I64 so that it can be turned.

' It is evident, of course, that single sheets arrivingupon the conveyor I41 in columns may be arranged in piles in which the number of sheets is equal to the number of columns by the mechanism shownin Fig. 4. That is; eachv row of sheets coming from the belt 92 may be placed in a single pile by feeding the columns directly to the conveyor I41 before going through the spreading conveyor and cascading conveyor system.- In this case, the conveyor I55 will deliver a column of piles in which each pile contains the sheets that were'arranged transversely in a row across the conveyor 92. Similarly, where the conveyor I41 is used in the manner "shown in Fig. 5 to deliver the sheets to stacking-conveyors I58, all the sheets from one column delivered directly to the conveyor I41 from the conveyor 92 can be delivered to one of the stacking conveyors, the sheets in the next column being delivered to the next stacking conveyor. Thus it will be evident that a very flexible assembly mechanism for assembling sheets in a definite order is provided by the combination of the spreading'conveyor, cascading conveyor, side drift conveyor, and side receiving conveyor or stacking conveyor structures just described.

In Figs. 19 to 22 inclusive, there is illustrated a structure which is particularly useful in stacking sheets upon skids or trucks in front of the backboards I59, shown in Fig. 5. This device consists of a portable conveyor unit 28I adapted to receive" sheets from a conveyor I41 of the'side delivery type onto a conveyor 282 which feeds the sheets onto a side drifting conveyor 283 that lines the sheets up again a moving wall 284 and delivers the sheets onto a delivery and storage conveyor 285. The delivery and storage conveyor 285 also has thereon a climbing pusher device 286 by which the delivery end of the conveyor 285 and its associated conveyors 283, together with the moving wall 284, can be raised automatically as the pile of sheets increases in height. The climbing pusher also aligns the pile of sheets against the back stop as they are piled. Since the unit 28I is portable, it can be adjusted to stack one pile in front of the other after the first stackedpile has been built against the back stop.

The construction of the unit 28I and its associated conveyors comprises a truck 281 having wheels 288. A motor 289 drives the conveyor 282, and through it drives pulleys298 by which the conveyors 283 and 285, the moving wall 284, and the climbing pushers 286 may be operated.

The conveyors 283 and 285 are pivoted at 29I on the truck 281 and are counterweighted by means of the counterweight 292 carried by the truck 281. A parallel link arrangement comprising a pair of links 293 and 294 provide the supporting means for the conveyors 283 and 285 and the climbing pusher 286. At their outer ends, the links 293 and 294 are connected by a vertical link 295 which retains its vertical position in all positions of theconveyor'mechanism and which acts as a guide for the pushers 286. The moving side wall 284 comprises merely a conveyor. belt on edge operated by means of pulleys 296 and 291 which are driven by suitable bevelled gears indicated at 298. The arrangement is such that the conveyor belt 284 moves forward at the same speed as the side drifting conveyor 283. Therefore, sheets being advanced by the conveyor 283 are linedup against the wall 284 and delivered on the conveyor 285 which in turn transfers .them to a pile in front of the back stops I59.

The conveyor 285 has been called a storage conveyor because it has means whereby a number of sheets may be piled thereon and held against delivery during the interval, for example, when a pile of sheets or a number of piles of sheets on a skid are being removed to make room for further stacking. For this purpose, a shaft 299 is journalled in the links 233 and has fixed thereon a plurality of stop fingers 30 arranged in a row across the conveyor 285. A spring 3M tends to hold the pins 300 down between the several belts of the conveyor 285 so as not to obstruct its delivery of sheets. However, when it is desired to hold up the delivery of sheets by the conveyor 285 and merely let them pile up temporarily, the fingers 300 may be operated by a handle 352 to swing them into vertical position, as shown in Fig. 19. Then a latch '33 is engaged beneath a shoulder 304 formed on one of the fingers 300 to hold apart the fingerstfi in raised position. When the necessity for holding the sheets back has ended, the latch 303 is released, and the accumulated sheets upon the conveyor 285 can be fed in the usual manner.

Means are provided whereby the sheets deliv ered by the conveyor 285 are pushed against the back stop I59, and the conveyor is automatically raised as the height of the stack against the back stop increases. This means comprises a climbing pusher having a frame portion 355 that is pushed back and forth by. a. yielding drive through a connecting-rod 356. The yielding drive may com-- prise a telescoping connection in the rod- 305 in which a spring yieldingly opposes advance of the link. The frame 305 isguided by means of a rib 351 riding in guides 363 and 389 provided on the links 295. An arm 3H] connects the link 3% to a shaft 3| I which carries a plurality of lifting bars 3I2 which extend between the several pulleys of the conveyor 285. The lifting bars 3I2 ride between pins 3I3 and 5H3 which are formed upon brackets 3I5. The brackets 3I5 are fixed to a'cross rod SIG which is fixed to the frame members 355. The action is as follows: When the link .365 moves the arm em counterclockwise, as

shown in Fig. 21, the bars 3I2 move up against the stops SIS, and then the entire pushing mechanism including the frames 355 is drawn back into the position shown in Fig. 21 with the free ends of the bars 3I2 within the outline of the conveyor 285. On the forward movement of the climbing pushers, the pusher frame 305 andthe associated bracket 3I5 are moved forward with the arms 3I2 until pressure begins to build up against the pusher. When this occurs, the free ends of the bars 3| 2 will press down on top of the stack and slightly raise the entire conveyor system. In this way, the climbing pusher continues to elevate the free end of the conveyor 285. At the beginning of a stack, it is desirable to have some sort of yielding shoe mechanism to engage on the skids and ride thereon during the initial stacking operations. Such a shoe is shown at 3H in Figs. 21 and 22. This shoe is pivoted on the cross rod SIG and supported by links H3 which connect to the pusher frame 305 The operation of the stacking'device is believed to be readily'apparent from the above description. Sheets delivered and either turned or left with the same side up by means of the shelf I65 are fed by the conveyor 282 onto the side delivery conveyor 283 which aligns the *less so that this creasing will sheetsqagainst, the moving wall 284 and 'delivers them to the storage conveyor 285. The

storage conveyor 285 discharges the sheets at its delivery end; There are many forms of climbing pushers that may be utilized to lift the free end of the conveyor 285. The present device, however, will sufficiently. disclose the advantages of such pushers in connection with the mechanism for stacking sheets.

Referring now to the delivery of the sheets from the side delivery conveyor I55, if this conveyor does not already arrange the piles of sheets so that. they are at a diagonal slope of about forty-five degrees, the conveyor I55 is caused to deliver the sheets onto a trough shaped conveyor I68. This trough shaped conveyor is composed of a belt I69 and a belt I10 arranged at right angles to each other and twisted, as illustrated in Fig. 6, so that, at the delivery end, both belts I69 and I10 slope at an angle of about forty-five degrees with the horizontal. The trough shaped conveyor I58 delivers the piles into a second trough shaped conveyor I'II. One side of the conveyor III is formed by a solid belt I'Iilrunning on pulleys I'I3. .The other side of the conveyor Ill is formed by a-series of belts Il l which are spaced apart as illustrated clearly in Figs. 6 and 7. The bottom of thepiles delivered to the conveyor I'II rest against the belts I14, and the'lower edges of the piles rest against the belt I12; I15 and I16. These pulleys are recessed between the belts as indicated at I'll in Fig. 7.

A pushing conveyor IIB has a plurality of V- shaped pushers I79. The V-shaped pusher I79 has projections I80 along one arm thereof. v projections I80 are arranged to mesh with the grooves Il'I in the pulleys I75 and I15 so as to travel between the belts I14.

The trough shaped conveyor III delivers the piles to a stationary V'-shaped trough I 8I. This V.-shaped trough, as illustrated best in Fig. 8, hasone side I 82 smooth while the other side I83 is.

intermediate portion is'directed upwardly at an angle of about thirty-five and one-fourth degrees for some distance. The bends between the horizontal portions I85 and I86 and the intermediate portion I81 are made preferably as smooth curves so that the piles of paper will slide along the trough. The conveyor I18 is'so arranged as to cause the V-shaped pushers I19 to follow the contours of the trough I8I.

The trough I8I may be-jarred by any 'well knownv mechanism so that the piles of sheets when travelling upthe inclined section I8'I have the several sheets aligned with. each other. When the sheets being handled are so limber that the edges would crease rather than align themselves when held in a forty-five 'degree trough, 'or pushup at'a forty-five degree slope, then the slope at the side of the trough upon which the bottom of the pile rests and also the slope of the section I81 may be made sufficiently not occur. The

The belts I'M are driven by pulleys The aligning can be accomplished by jarring even when the slope is very small. If the piles are evened up before they are delivered into the trough l.8l, then it would be unnecessary to change the angle of the trough or to use any jarring mechanism.

The conveyor I18 moves a distance equal to the distance between consecutive pushers I19 every time'the cam shaft'l34 makes one revolution. No adjustment whatever is needed for variations in the size or number of sheets being delivered when the length printed on is always the same. When the length printed on is changed, a phase adjustment of the conveyor 118 is necessary.

The foregoing mechanism, shown in detail in 'Figs...6,. '7 and 8 provides a means for aligning uneven piles of sheets while in. motion. This trough aligning system may be modified somewhat to suit particular installations and purposes. ,Briefiy the operation may be said to consist of exactly aligning the sheets in the piles by delivering the uneven piles into .a trough that 1 extends diagonally upward, pushing the piles up the trough by means of pushers and, whenever necessary, jarring the trough to exactly align the sheets in the piles.

The accurately aligned piles of sheets may be delivered by any suitable mechanism to the various forms of gluers and stitchers. These mechanismsas well as the gluers and stitchers are well known in the artand will, therefore, not be described or shown herein The correcting mechanism shown in my application hereinbefore identified may also be supplied in conjunction with the slitters andmultiple flying shears, shown herein. For example, webs, that have been re-run and perfected, may

be stored in rolls; these rolls may then be fed forward past an indicating or noticing device of the'present character, and several webs laid one on top of the otherin accurate registration before they are delivered to the cutting mechanism. In alike manner, accurate registration of the cutting mechanism, with the particular marks on one or more webs, may be accomplished.

The present invention, since it makes it desirable in many instances to rewind the web, contemplates the provision of an improved rewinding appa atus and method. In the ordinary method of rewinding, the roll i held horizontal and the web is wound at a high tension. The cumulative effect of the tension as the winding progresses becomes greater and greater on the inner layers. To wind, therefore, under considerable tension is objectionable in producing off-set.

Moreover, the storing of a roll with its axis horitensions produced in the web in different parts of the roll by the weight of the paper which composes the roll. Irregularity in stretching results from these diiferent tensions. This irregularity is objectionable when rerunning the roll through a press intended to register with the printing already done. The irregularity is also objectionabl in other formsof handling such as in cutting and slitting. V

The above difficulties are overcome herein by winding the roll on a horizontal turn table with its axis vertical. The roll is wound loosely in the preferred method with just enough tension being maintained to form a roll. The excess pressure and the unequal stretch are in this manner largely eliminated. Any additional method of preventing cit-setting, such as running the web over heaters 'zontal is objectionable because of the different I before winding, using static eliminatorsl ozonato'isor using parafiin mist, or any of the well known vegetable oil sprays before winding, may be used.

The winding may be further improved, particularly in avoiding off-setting or contact between successive-layers by the insertion of spacer strips between successive turns on the turn table at one or both edges of the web. The winding may be accomplished in such a fashion where spacer strip is used only at the lower edge to permit unwinding of the roll with the spacer strip lift on the turn table. This is done by merely unwinding the roll at a slightly upwardly directed angle so as to lift the lower edge of the web from between the turns of the spacer strip.

Referring now to Figs. 10, ll, 12 and 13, I have illustrated a winding mechanism embodying the present invention. In Fig. 10, the web 9 is being fed over a roller 245 onto a horizontal. turn table 21 56 which may be driven by any suitable mechanism. The web 9 is shown in Fig. 10 as being wound with upper and lower spacers 241 and 248 which are in the form of strips fed from a pair of drums 249 and 249a. The strips 24'! and 248 may desirably take the form shown best in cross section in Fig. 12 where the successive turns of the web 9 are spaced apart by the use of strips made from corrugated board having one smooth side 25! and the other side 252 composed of the corrugated member. As illustrated, the smooth member 251 of the strip is wider and has a portion 253 extending up between the turns of the web 9. The corrugated strip 252 forms a shelf which receives-the lower edge, of the web. Openings at 254 between the corrugated strip 252 and the smooth strip 25! are particularly useful in providing for air circulation. In Fig. 13, the successive turns of the web 9 are not placed upon the shoulders, brt are placed between successive turns of the roll spacer strip 250 which is again composed of a smooth strip 25I and a corrugated strip 252. The strips 25! and 252 in case where no shoulder is desired may well be of the same width. When it is desired to unwind the web 9, the web can be turned slightly diagonally with respect to the turn table and removed from between the strips resting on the turn table without the necessity of unwinding the strip. The strip thus can be used over and over again by being fed from that turn table to another one during rewinding.

Throughout the foregoing description, only specific examples of the various mechanisms used in combination have been described and shown. It is obvious that many equivalent forms of mechanisms difiering in details from those shown may be employed without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in'the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim" as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In sheet delivering machinery, the combi-- nation of a side drifting conveyor, adapted to gradually move a transverse row of sheets or piles of sheets thereon off the conveyor at one side thereof while advancing the sheets, with a side receiving conveyor having its top surface ofiset belowthe level of the top surface of the side drifting conveyor and extending lengthwise alongside the first named conveyor and travelling at the same forward rate, and upon which sheets from the first named conveyor drop, whereby the rows of sheets on the side drifting conveyor are placed in piles on the side receiving conveyor.

2. In sheet delivering machinery, the combination of a. side drifting conveyor, with a side receiving conveyor and a cascade conveyor whereby travelling columns of sheets arranged transversely in'rows are arranged in a single pile.

3. In combination, a side drifting conveyor, and means at the delivery side of said conveyor for positively pushing sheets ofi the edge thereof comprising a pair of .rollers at the delivery edge of said conveyor rotating in the direction of movement of sheets on said conveyor, and one of said rollers having radially extensible fingers thereon, extensible radially beyond the periphery of the roller when they are opposite the other roller, and means to retract the fingers before they again reach the position where they may be extended beyond the periphery of the roller.

4. In combination, a side drifting conveyor, and means at the delivery side of said conveyor for positively pushing sheets off the edge thereof comprising a, pair of rollers at the delivery edge of said conveyor rotating in the direction of movement of sheets on said conveyor, and one of said rollers having radially extensible fingers thereon, extensible radially beyond the periphery of the roller when they are opposite the other roller, and means to retract the fingers before they again reach the position where they may be extended beyond the periphery of the roller, the other roller being recessed to receive the fingers.

5. In combination, a side drifting conveyor, and means at the delivery side of said conveyor for positively pushing sheets ofi' the edge thereof comprising a pair of rollers at the delivery edge of said conveyor rotating in the direction of movement of sheets on said conveyor, and one of said rollers having radially extensible fingers thereon, extensible radially beyond the periphery of the roller when they are opposite the other roller, and means to retract the fingers before they again reach the position where they may be extended beyond the periphery of the roller, said fingers being spring pressed outwardly whereby the presence of a sheet between the rollers prevents extension of the fingers.

6. In sheet delivering machinery, the combination of a side drifting conveyor, adapted to gradually move a transverse row of sheets or piles of sheets thereon off the conveyor at one side thereof while advancing the sheets, with a side receiving conveyor, traveling alongside the first named conveyor at the same forward rate, and upon which sheets from the first named conveyor drop, whereby the rows of sheets on the side drifting conveyor are placed in piles on the side receiving conveyor, said side receiving conveyor being composed of two conveyors meeting at an angle.

.7. In sheet delivery machinery, the combination of a side drifting conveyor with a side receiving conveyor alongside said first named conveyor and traveling at the same forward speed,

and means at the side edge of the side drifting conveyor engaging the sheets as they arrive at said side edge and positively pushing them off the side drifting conveyor onto the side receiving conveyor, said side receiving conveyor being composed of two conveyors meeting at an angle.

8. In. sheet delivery machinery, the combination of a side drifting conveyor with a side receiving conveyor alongside said first named conveyor and traveling at the same forward speed,

and means at the side edge of the side drifting conveyor engaging the sheets as they arrive at said side edge and positively pushing them off the side drifting conveyor onto the side receiving conveyor, said means comprising pairs of rollers gripping the sheets between them.

9. In sheet delivery machinery, the combination of a side drifting conveyor with a side receiving conveyor alongside said first named conveyor and traveling at the same forward speed, and means at the side edge of the side drifting conveyor engaging the sheets as they arrive at said side edge and positively pushing them off the side drifting conveyor onto the side receiving conveyor, said means comprising pairs of rollers gripping the sheets between them, and positive drive means for the lower roller of each pain.

10. In sheet delivering machinery, the combination of a side drifting conveyor; adapted to gradually move a transverse row of sheets or piles of sheets thereon off the conveyor at one side thereof while advancing the sheets, with a side receiving conveyor, traveling alongside the first named conveyor at the same forward rate, and upon which sheets from the first named conveyor drop, whereby the rows of sheets on the side drifting conveyor are placed in piles on the side receiving conveyor, the last named conveyor being spaced below the side drifting conveyor and comprising a pair of conveyor belts, the planes of which intersect, both belts being placed at an .angle to the horizontal whereby to provide a trough below the side edge of the side drifting conveyor.

DAVID CORBIN. 

